An Indian domestic cricket stalwart, Jagdishlal Arun Lal, played 16 Tests and 13 ODIs for India. Despite being a prolific run-scorer in domestic cricket, Lal failed to emulate the same succe...Full profile

An Indian domestic cricket stalwart, Jagdishlal Arun Lal, played 16 Tests and 13 ODIs for India. Despite being a prolific run-scorer in domestic cricket, Lal failed to emulate the same success at the international level. He was the man behind Bengal and East Zone's rise in domestic cricket during the eighties and the early nineties.

Lal belonged to a cricketing family. His father, uncle and cousin, all had played first-class cricket before him. After failing to achieve anything substantial with Delhi for 6 years, Lal decided to move to Bengal to reinvigorate his career, a strategy that paid off for him.

He got his first Test cap at the age of 27, against Sri Lanka in 1982 and made 63 in his debut innings. His next assignment was the tour of Pakistan, where he scored 51 in the first Test but was dropped after he could only manage a combined total of 49 in his next four innings.

Four yeas later, he had a brilliant first-class season, including two scores of 287, in the Ranji pre-quarters and the Duleep Trophy semi-final. His impressive performances earned him a place in the national team. Chosen to play against Pakistan in place of Sunil Gavaskar, who had vowed to never play at the Eden Gardens after he was pelted with fruits in 1984-85, Lal justified his inclusion by registering two half-centuries in the match.

Lal had to wait for a few months before his next Test appearance, which came only after Gavaskar retired. He played 11 consecutive Tests, starting with the series against West Indies in November 1987. Lal recorded his highest Test score during the series, making 93 at his adopted home (The Eden Gardens).

He scored another fifty in the next game but was dropped after he could only manage a highest score of 47 in his next 14 Test innings. His final Test appearance came against the West Indies in April 1989. He scored 729 runs in his Test career, averaging 26.03. He didn't fare too well in ODIs either, averaging just 9.38 in 13 games.

His first-class stats though are quite the opposite. At the time of his retirement, he occupied the fifth position in the list of players with most career runs in Ranji history, averaging 53.23. One of the most memorable moments in Arun Lal's first-class career was the 1989-90 Ranji season, where Bengal emerged as winners.

Lal's most important knock during that campaign came in the quarters as his score of 189 helped Bengal qualify for the semis at the expense of Bombay (now Mumbai). It was a special achievement as Bengal had won the title after a gap of 51 years.

He played his final club match for East Bengal and retired from competitive cricket in 2001. Lal has been a big advocate of wildlife conservation over the years. Currently, he works as a TV commentator.